Breaking through the thoughts behind pain

Joyce E. Batchelder

Some time ago, when my children were quite young, I was suddenly hit with severe chest pains. I was frightened and struggling for breath. Fortunately, the children were quietly involved elsewhere watching a program on television. When I finally started to pray, it occurred to me that there was such a contrast between my distressing situation and the peaceful scene in front of the television, which I could hear so plainly from the other room.

Actually my attention was as totally involved as the children's, but my experience was threatening and theirs was benign. Yet in both our situations the focus of our attention was on a material object, in my case my body and its pain, and in their case the television.

I realized, though, that their attention was not so much focused on the television itself as on the ideas it was parading before them. I could begin to see that this important distinction had relevance to my situation, too.

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